Emma Raducanu makes winning start to 2023 with victory in Auckland

Emma Raducanu made a winning start to 2023 with victory over teenager Linda Fruhvirtova in her opening match at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, was a set and a break down against an opponent ranked one place lower than her in the world at 79th.

But she won four games on the trot to change the momentum and win the match.

“I was like, you need to stop this and just pick it up, like be more aggressive and swing more freely,” said Raducanu about her change in fortunes.

“It’s always difficult playing your first match of the year, so it was always going to be a little bit of a challenge, especially with the conditions.

“I was loving the support. I felt like everyone was behind me and I absolutely loved it. Some moments it was tricky in the score and I would hear a young kid say ‘Come on Emma’ and I was like, ‘come on, let’s go’.”

She ended her 2022 campaign in early October with a wrist injury and took a short break to spend time with friends and family before starting a two-month block of fitness training.

Raducanu will next face Slovak Viktoria Kuzmova, the world number 105.

Top-seeded American Coco Gauff marched into the last 16, beating Germany’s Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatjana Maria 6-4 6-1 to end a five-match losing streak.

Meanwhile, in Adelaide, Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen caused a shock with a win over Estonian former world number two Anett Kontaveit.

Zheng, the 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year, saved a match point in the final set before winning 6-1 4-6 7-6 (9-7).

She will next face former world number one and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus who recovered from 5-1 down in the first set to defeat Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5)

Latvia’s 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko also advanced to the second round after beating former world number one Karolina Pliskova 6-1 6-3.